Crop a photo to 36 × 47 mm — Finland residence permit

Exact numbers for this document

What this document is

Finnish residence permits are decided by the Finnish Immigration Service, Migri (Maahanmuuttovirasto). The application is filed online in Enter Finland and followed by a visit to a Migri service point or a Finnish mission, where fingerprints are taken from everyone over 6, the passport is shown and a photo — or a photo retrieval code from a photo studio — is handed in. Identity has to be proven within 3 months of applying.

How to crop it, in three steps

1. 01

   Upload a photo taken face-on, in even light

2. 02

   The tool finds the face and aligns the frame itself — check that the head lands in 68–77%

3. 03

   Save the 36 × 47 mm result — print it or attach it to the application

What we fix for free, and what AI fixes

Glare on the lenses. Take the glasses off or turn away from the light source and shoot again.

Why these photos get rejected — and how to fix each one

Finland-specific things to know

• Migri says (press release of 2018) that the photo of a previous application cannot be used again — the officials can check it in the case management system — so a renewal needs a new photograph, not the old file.
• A digital photo goes in as a photograph retrieval code from the photo shop, and a paper photo is glued in the box of the appendix form; the card applications for temporary protection need the digital code, no more than six months old.
• The current Migri pages read give no measurements of their own; the appendix form gives 47 mm × 36 mm and a head of 32–36 mm and points to the police passport photo guidelines.

Printing on a single sheet

Where these numbers come from

Source: Finnish Immigration Service (Migri). Last checked against the official page on 1 Oct 2026.

What the source confirms

• Migri, appendix to the residence permit application (form OLEL_PK): a photo of the applicant must be appended; it must comply with the passport photo guidelines issued by the police and not be more than six months old; the official receiving the application identifies the applicant from the passport and confirms that the photo and the specimen signature are of the applicant; the photo is glued in the box and not stapled, and the signature is written in the centre of the box.
• Same appendix, the measurements: the photo is 47 mm high and 36 mm wide; the distance between the top of the head without hair and the bottom of the chin is 32–36 mm; the head is straight and in the middle of the photo; head and shoulders are turned straight towards the camera — portrait-style photos looking over one shoulder are not acceptable; the photo is taken straight from the front, not from higher up, lower down or from the side.
• Same appendix, the face and the background: the subject looks straight at the camera; the full face is shown, garments or hair not covering any part, the eyes clearly visible; the expression is neutral and the mouth closed; glasses can always be removed, tinted glasses and eye patches are allowed only for medical reasons; the background is plain, neutral and light with no shadows and the face clearly distinguishable against it; no other people or objects (a small child may be supported, but no part of the supporter is visible).
• Same appendix, children and quality: for children younger than 11 a smaller head is acceptable if blurring or other distortion cannot otherwise be avoided, and the height of the head must still be at least 25 mm; the lighting is uniform, the face and background free of shadows and hot spots, no red eye, a natural colour of light, not over- or under-exposed; printed on high-quality photograph paper, sharp, not blurred or grainy, with no scratches, stains or creases; no manipulation or retouch; optical and other distortions of the dimensions of the face that impede visual or automatic identification are not allowed.
• Migri, «Applying for a residence permit»: add an official passport photo to the application; to get an official passport photo go to a photo shop that takes passport photos; the photo may not be more than 6 months old; add a paper photo or the photograph retrieval code from the photo shop.
• Migri, «Handling matters at a service point»: bring a recent passport photo or the passport photo code from a photographer if you apply for a residence permit, a residence card, an alien's passport or a refugee travel document; no passport photo is needed for a citizenship application or EU registration. Press release of 16.2.2018: the photo can only be up to 6 months old, the same photo cannot be used in a new application, officials can check in the case management system which photo was used before, and if the same photo is used again Migri has to ask for a new one and the processing time becomes longer; a digital photo's receipt or retrieval code is taken to the service point.

Finnish passport photograph instructions ↗

Questions people ask before cropping

Next steps

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